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Fountain of Youth

JAMES SCHLETT, EDITOR, james.schlett@photonics.comIt wasn’t that long ago when the biggest downside to laser facial rejuvenation was the significant recovery period after the procedure. In exchange for looking years younger, patients often had to brace for up to a month of uncomfortable recuperation.

In “Facial Lasers’ Future: Shorter Downtimes, Darker Skin Types,” (read article), we see how cosmetic laser companies are now pushing the bounds of fractionated technology to further reduce costs and downtime, by introducing systems with multiple and new wavelengths as well as faster and more powerful picosecond and diode lasers. New and improved systems are also expanding patient demographics, with systems that better treat people with Fitzpatrick skin types V and VI.

In “Hyperspectral Microscopy: A Powerful Technique for Multiplexed Imaging,” by Laura-Isabelle Dion-Bertrand of Photon Etc., (read article), Dion-Bertrand reviews the menu of fluorescence probes from which researchers can choose. There are quantum dots and organic dyes, but she focuses on single-walled carbon nanotubes and how hyperspectral microscopy can help unlock their potential in accelerating drug discovery and cancer detection.

Additionally, in his Biopinon column, “Big Cash Prizes Needed to Boost Biophotonics Commercialization,” (read article), Georgetown University professor Paul Kainen points out that the failure to translate photonics’ successes in biomedical science into the retail medical device market stems from unattractive financial incentives for businesses to pursue such costly and risky endeavors. He proffers the award of multibillion-dollar prizes as a way to not only expand photonics’ role in retail medicine but also to solve the most pressing medical challenges of our time.

Group Publisher Karen Newman has had a career in business-to-business and association publishing, much of it spent covering technical, scientific and life sciences subjects.

Michael D. Wheeler is managing editor of Photonics Spectra and EuroPhotonics. In addition, he is responsible for the editorial direction of BioPhotonics and Industrial Photonics.

Senior Editor Justine Murphy is a multiple award-winning journalist who brings more than 15 years of experience to her role at Photonics Media.

James Schlett is the editor of BioPhotonics and Industrial Photonics. He is also an author and award-winning business reporter.

Contributing editor Hank Hogan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the University of Texas at Austin. Hogan worked in the semiconductor industry and now writes about science and technology.

Contributing editor Marie Freebody is a free-lance science and technology journalist with a master’s degree in physics and a concentration in nuclear astrophysics from the University of Surrey in England.

Science writer Valerie C. Coffey holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s in astronomy. She has covered optics, photonics, physics and astronomy for a variety of industry and academic publications since 2000.